C.O. HISTORY: Article # 1
(The following was written personally by Fred John Susoeff of Glendale, AZ., while stationed at Camp Buckeye Civilian Public Service Camp, Three Rivers, CA., and published by their newsletter THE MOLOKAN in the March 1945 issue.)
The Case of Ex-Con No. 1914
Fred Susoeff
Agents of the FBI arrested me on April 22, 1943, for refusing to comply with the Selective Service’s orders to report to the US Army. The arrest was made at my parent’s farm in Arizona. I refused to enter the Army because I am a conscientious objector to war.
The Federal Court in Houston – where I was to be sentenced – provided me with a defense council which helped me in my hearing before the judge. On July 12, 1943, I was sentenced for one year and one day to serve in the Federal Correctional Institution of Texarkana, Texas. The 80 days I spent in the city jails awaiting my sentence were not included as a part of my sentence.
The Texarkana Correctional Institution was built in 1941 as a rehabilitation prison for narcotic violators. At the time of my entry, its complement of prisoners numbered about 350, about of third of which were CO’s.
The first 30 days of my sentence were spent in what is called quarantine. In quarantine, I was kept apart from the rest of the prisoners, was given inoculations for some diseases, and met various people, such as the prison chaplain, parole officers, and the guards.
After my quarantine period expired, I was given a job on the prison farm. On this job, I did all types of farm chores, which included vegetable picking and removing tree stumps. The farm had about 300 acres under cultivation and provided the prison with most of its kitchen needs. After 4-1/2 months of farm work, I was placed on a different job. This new work was made up of landscaping in and around the prison and officer’s homes, which were comparatively new.
A typical work-day in prison started at 6:30 AM. At 6:45 AM, the prisoners were lined up, two abreast, and marched to breakfast. (We marched to every meal.) We started to work at 8:00 AM and ended the work day at 4:00 PM, with an hour for lunch. This gave us a seven hour work day. Before leaving and entering the prison gates, each prisoner was examined and identified, even upon leaving and returning from work. Supper was served at 5:00 PM, after which one was free to take part in a number of activities. By 9:00 PM, all lights were out and prisoners were in bed.
The recreation and off-hours activities took place from after supper to about 8:45 PM. For recreation, baseball and basketball dominated among the sports played. One was also able to play ping-pone, shuffleboard, dominoes, etc, in a large hall called the Day Room. Also in the Day Room there was a fairly complete library and radio.
In the evenings, a prisoner was able to go to school and to study subjects equivalent to grades ranging through high school. However, once a “con” signs for a school course, he is compelled to finish or suffer certain set penalties.
Church services are provided on Sundays for all prisoners who cared to take part in them. The first hour was occupied by the Catholics, the second by the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Treatment received by the prisoners depended considerably on how well the prisoners cooperated with the prison authorities. Conditions at the Institution were set up a good deal for “correctional” purposes rather than for the bitter “penalizing” purposes. All violations of rulings were tried by a court, made up of the prison warden, the lieutenant of the guards, and the prison doctor. Depriving of earned days toward a release, and assigning to solitary confinement, are the more common types of penalties ruled by the court. On the whole, I can say that treatment of CO’s by prison authorities and by non-CO prisoners was of indifference if not good.
In May of 1944, after serving nine months of my year and a day sentence, I was released. During my “stretch” in prison many gifts of money and food were sent to my by the Molokans. These gifts were not only appreciated for their material aid, but even more so for their spiritual uplift and encouragement.
(End of article.)
(After release from Texarkana Correctional Facility, Fred Susoeff was transferred to CPS Camp Buckeye at Three Rivers. On April 15, 1945, Fred walked out of the camp. He was arrested shortly after and taken into custody in lieu of $1,000 bond after appearing before F.A. Hickernell,US Commissioner. After another term in jail, he was release after the end of World War 2.)
MOLOKAN C.O. HISTORY: Article # 2
(The following was written by Peter J. Berokoff, while stationed at Camp Buckeye Civilian Public Service Camp, Three Rivers, CA., and published in their newsletter THE MOLOKAN in the February 1946 issue. Elder Berokoff was editor along with John F. Wren, and Alex J. Shubin was business manager, of the monthly publication. This is the first of 3 articles on personal Molokan C.O. testimony)
Why I am a Conscientious Objector to War
Peter J. Berokoff
I believe that Christianity and the participation in war are the direct opposites and are irreconcilable. I am a conscientious objector to war because I wish to consider myself a Christian, and in striving for such attainment, I cannot take part in warfare.
The very detailed scriptures of Jesus Christ’s teachings and also the broad, enveloping picture of His will call for the love of each man for the other. His instructions, especially those given in the Sermon on the Mount, of turning the other cheek and blessing them, of forgiving our trespassers and debtors, are not merely to be considered unimportant, broad, abstract and meaningless ascertains. They are basic and definite. Their undeniable importance is stressed by Christ when he answered the question, which of the commandments was the greatest. He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” War cannot exist without its bosom-pal, HATE. I have never been able to understand how I can be a follower of Christ and at the same time participate in a game of hate.
I am a conscientious objector also because I feel war, in the thousands of years of its practice, has failed to achieve any of the ideals set forth as goals by those who launched them. On the contrary, wars have been stumbling stones for any practical advancement of such idealism. The fighting of wars for the purposes of “ending all wars” has only kindled the fire for more horrible wars. The fighting of wars for the purpose of abolishing fascistic militarism has only created more militarism and militarists. The wars that have been fought for the ending of imperialism, exploitation and subjugation of millions of natives have created only more imperialism and exploitation of illiterate, innocent victims. In short, war has done nothing but multiply ten-fold those evils which they are set forth to eliminate. It is for these reasons, too, that I am a conscientious objector to war.
I cannot conscientiously place myself in a position of responsibility for the atrocities which inevitably result from war. I cannot, for example, share in the responsibility of such inhuman, indiscriminate bombing of innocent and helpless women and children who have no more responsibility for the war than my own mother and father. I cannot, for another example, be, even in part, responsible for the development and infamous loosing of the horrible atom bomb to smash to smithereens a while city and its populace, then to repeat the ugly performance to “acquire more data on its results.” These facts, and reprisals, with the ensuing vicious circle, add to my reasons for being a conscientious objector to war.
Again, I am a C.O. because I feel a CO has the only constructive and stable program to solve the ills of this sick world. That only when man decides not to cooperate in the process of making war, hate, and discrimination shall such practices cease to dominate his life. That only when men consider the will of God as their guiding light, rather than the will of man and governments, shall the existence of practical democratic ideals become a reality.
(end of article)
MOLOKAN C.O. HISTORY: Article # 3
(The following was written by John Slevin, while stationed at Camp Buckeye Civilian Public Service Camp, Three Rivers, CA., and published in their newsletter THE MOLOKAN in the January 1946 issue.)
Why I am a Conscientious Objector to War
John Slevin
I am a conscientious objector to war because every fiber of my being recoils at the thought of killing a fellow human being. I hold the value of human life transcending all else, and whatever the circumstances, cannot bring myself to the need of snuffing out another man’s life.
War, and participation in war, however remote it may be, are totally incompatible with Christianity, and the admonitions and examples of the humble Jesus shall always serve as my ideal.
I feel that every man has a noble purpose in life, and in no case is it possible for that purpose to be the slaughter of people or the destruction of the world’s wealth.
In the final analysis, the best contribution an individual can make to the welfare of humanity, must be a positive, honest, constructive contribution. War, whether it be civil or international, is based on negative emotions. Deceit, and destruction of the opposition. There is no justice in war. Men are commanded to slaughter populations, indiscriminately, and most strange, they actually obey such commands.
War destroys life, property, morality, and utterly degrades the human personality. It offers no solution to any problem, and only serves to create greater chaos and more startling, insurmountable problems. If there are human activities worse than war, inevitably they are the products of war.
I cannot bring myself to react enthusiastically to the purported purposes of war, for I know too well the lies and exaggerations upon which wartime fervor is based. Man can suffer no greater indignity than to subject his freedom of conviction to another man. When I repeat those all important words, “Thy will be done,” I cannot turn around then and take an army oath of allegiance to a regretfully imperfect authority. Incidentally, that is why many thoughtful CO’s are regarding as agitators and malcontents in government labor camps. That is, the simple fact that they cannot blindly follow all orders.
My fight is not against the poor creature of another country, who is mislead by his military masters. My battle in life is against the war system, enslavement under the guise of national military necessity, the profit system of greed and selfishness, the enslavement of uneducated non-white masses for our enhancement, and the ignorance which leads armies to the slaughter at painfully recurring intervals.
I have always tried to be a worthy citizen of this country, but I have always been more concerned with my loyalty to humanity, and instead of expending my energies to increasing the power and prestige of this nation, I would rather do my small part in helping mankind realize the actuality of the Brotherhood of man.
I am primarily not an objector, but one who affirms his faith in the good way of life as annunciated by Christ. The military system simply does not fit into the pattern for this type of life.
(John Slevin was a member of the New United Molokan Church - Percy St.- Church.)
MOLOKAN C.O. HISTORY: Article # 4
(The following was written by William John Berokoff, while stationed at Camp Buckeye Civilian Public Service Camp, Three Rivers, CA., and published in their newsletter THE MOLOKAN in the October 1945 issue.)
Why I am a Conscientious Objector to War
William John Berokoff
Webster defines a conscientious objector as “one who objects to war on religious principles or for private reasons.”
Probably one of the most important commandments of God is ,”Thou shalt not kill.”
Jesus said, “Love one another;” “Resist not evil with evil;” “Overcome evil with good;” “Love your enemies,” and etc. Going further, if possible, I say all forms of violence are as great an evil as the participation in one type of murder or another, even if in self defense. The ideal here being never for any reason to employ violence, not return evil for evil, but to endure wrong, to give up one’s shirt.
Leo Tolstoy, the great pacifist, gives us as his concept of man three divisions: one, the personal or selfish, that is, to contribute nothing to others except for personal profit. Two: the social or pagan, which means contributing only to family, tribe, state or nation at the expense of others. Third: that of the divine or more simply – God. In the last conception, man’s life is comprised neither in his own personality, nor in a succession of persons, but in the source, the creator of life – God.
Violence in any form can easily be applied or associated with, first, the individual whose thoughts are for his own selfish gain and, second, the individual whose thoughts are directed for the gain of family, tribe, state, etc., regardless of what or who is taken advantage of in the process; hence, exploitation. But to associate aggression, violence, debauchery, and war with God is like saying black is white, or the philosophy of Jesus was not that of love. It is an impossibility. God is love and without the love for ones fellowman, violence will continually persist.
Therefore it is not objection to war and all that goes with it that has to justify itself, but war, violence, and fraud.
Pacifism may not solve all the problems facing this world today, but it has been proved beyond any doubt that war and violence have not solved them, and are incapable of solving them, hence my reason to conscientious objection to war.
(Elder William J. Berokoff was a member of the New Romanovski Church most of his life, and now resides in Oregon, a member of the Gervais Church.)
MOLOKAN C.O. HISTORY: Article # 5
(The following was written by John Fred Wren, while stationed at Camp Buckeye Civilian Public Service Camp, Three Rivers, CA., and published in their newsletter THE MOLOKAN in the August 1944 issue.)
War or Peace?
John F. Wren
To find men who readily proclaim that war is in itself a glory, and serves a useful purpose, is indeed rare. It is a man’s duty “to do and to die,” and not to reason “why” or “how come” we have war. Neither can it be said that a conscientious objector abominates war any more than the man that takes the sword. The difference being the means in which they go about to the achieve their goal.
However, being pacifists, we are continuously being told that our advocacy of pacifism just isn’t practical. Oh, sure, our peace testimonies can serve as fine ideals, but the cold facts are that this is a hard, cruel world where men and their institutions are imperfect, and we should recognize war as war. But that we as a nation must abandon war altogether, this is being realistic.
We should accept without a murmur this inhuman and irrational instrument that we call war, which is causing the death of millions of innocent men, women, and children by famine, disease, blockades, and bombing. In India alone, 3,000,000 people have died from famine when the British and Indian authorities in the government neglected the people, while in their rush to fight the rapidly approaching Japanese. There are authentic reports of Chinese women who are eating their own babies while the military has first call on food and supplies.
War, which leads to conditions such as this, does not represent a realistic attitude, but rather an immeasurable disgrace to all humanity. What justifies a war, which destroys the lives of millions, and bestows upon this generation and future generations an era of hate, just, and fear? This is causing such poverty and debt as the world has never seen. Just what do we expect to gain by this war? This raging inferno will be quelled by force and the victorious nations will have won what? Will it remove the cause for war? Or will it be a starting point for bigger and bigger wars?
Molokan testimony against war rests on the foundations of God, revealing Truth through the manifestations of the Holy Spirit and God’s revelation of the Truths, that can be found in the teachings of Jesus’ way of life. This being the supreme way, we hold that the Christian pacifist is the realist, for he believes that in this world, which was created by God, His method should be used. We accept the unity of man. Jesus taught that all men are equal in the sight of God. All were called to follow His will. Jesus constantly taught that love was the supreme power. He spoke of God as the Father and as Love. How often, he taught that man should love the Lord, love his neighbor and enemies.
In studying the life of Jesus, it is seen explicitly that Jesus’ was of life cannot include war and what was more, he exemplified his teaching by rejecting the temptations to be a great warrior Messiah, and instead took the way of the cross. In the presence of such love as was manifested there, can we but help be shamelessly penitent and look to Him, who truly be the Son of God?
(John F. Wren is the brother of elder Alex F. Wren of western Australia, and Myra Efsaeff of Porterville, CA.)
MOLOKAN C.O. HISTORY: Article # 6
(The following was written by Elder John K. Berokoff , in Los Angeles, CA., and published in their newsletter THE MOLOKAN in the January 1946 issue.)
DECENTRALIZATION
Its Effect on Us
John K. Berokoff
In seeking the many causes for the general lack of interest in things Molokan by the present generation, one must not overlook the trend towards decentralization that began in our community about twenty years ago.
It is easy to recall the Molokan community as it appeared in the years 1910-1925. It was compact, it was self-sustaining and self-perpetuating. It had its own stores and meat markets that catered to its own tastes and religious requirements. One could not make the present day excuse for buying non-Molokan butchered meat by saying that he could not spare the car to travel to “flats” for the meat.
The churches were close. No one lived beyond walking distance of one, except those who lived in the Karakala district, andit could be said tht those who did live there were no less diligent in walking to “flats” twice each Sunday for church services. Church “doings” were not as frequent then as they are now, but the services were much better attended then, than they are today. Even the Saturday night services were very well attended.
Religious issues were kept alive by constant discussion at home by members of the family, by constant discussions at home by members of the family, by neighbors talking over the backyard fence, or by neighbors and friends who dropped in for an evening to discuss the happenings of the last Sobraniya.
The elders were able to fulfill their duties to their flock because it was no hardship to make their periodic visit to the sick or to those who were lagging in their church attendance. Any problems confronting the Molokan community were quickly decided by the elders, who could be summoned to a meeting on an hour’s notice.
The streets of the community responded to the cries of Molokan children by day and to Molokan singing by night. It was hardly possible to walk a block in any direction in the evening without hearing Molokan singing either at some home prayer service or a budding choir practicing new songs in the home of someone, while enjoying “chi and natchinki”. Even the grown-up boys and girls added their bit by their Russian folk songs at some “vecherinka.”
All this, alas, has disappeared. The neighborhood began to acquire a shabby, disreputable appearance. The younger of the married people gradually began to move to outlying communities and to settle among non-Molokan neighbors. Many began to lose contact with the influence of the church, and to learn to disregard the dietary regulations of the religion. In place of choir practice with chi, there were poker parties with beer. In place of Sunday church attendance, there were picnics at the beach or mountains, while the fear of embarrassment or criticism or neighbors made prayer services at home unwelcome.
The elders could not maintain close contact with their congregation because of difficulty in locating their places of residence.
All these factors combined to work against the interests of brotherhood morale. To offset them effectively, the present commendable efforts, such as young people’s churches, Bible studies and spevkas, must be doubled or trebled. Means must be found for the elders to make their influence felt in every home. The lethargy must be aroused and, where necessary, more aggressive men placed in responsible positions. Even these measures mught be inadequate to offset the discouraging treand, but as long as were remain within the corrupting influence of this great city (i.e. Los Angeles), we must struggle as best we can with what means we could find.
(Elder John K. Berokoff was secretary of the Molokan C.O. Board during World War 2, and also traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of a delegation presenting a petition for conscientious objection status for military-age Molokans.)
MOLOKAN C.O. HISTORY: Article # 7
The following presentation was given at a Sunday morning Bible class at the Los Angeles UMCA by elder Jack Wm. Pavloff in December 1987. He spoke on the history of the CPS camps and his personal experience there, along with other Molokan C.O.s who were assigned to CPS camps during World War 2. Not his entire presentation is printed, but only the more important sections.
Elder Jack Wm. Pavloff and CPS Camp
I thank God for this opportunity we have in gathering today in this class, and praising His name and glorifying Him and Jesus.
I’d like to start with how a CO became classified. First of all, there were many classifications in the Second World War. There was 1A which meant that you were draft bate. There was 2B that meant you were draft bate but you were married. There was 3B that you were still draft bate but you were married and had children. Then there was 4E which was a classification for being a conscientious objector and you were subject to being summoned to camp. And 4F, of course, meant that you were physically or mentally unable to perform the functions of either Civilian Public Service, which is a conscientious objector’s camp, or in the military.
Now to get your classification, we had to appear before a review board. I think it was quite similarly done in this last instance when we had the contemporary draft. But in those days the draft board was composed mostly of veterans. Former American Legion members or members of the American Legion and former servicemen. And so they grouped all the conscientious objectors together; and in my particular case I didn’t seem to encounter any problems. I had a board that was very understanding, and they asked me some questions, I guess their normal questions. And I answered them to the best of my ability, and then they went on. Of course, they always throw curves at you like, “What would happen if somebody attacked your mother? What would you do?” Well, how do you respond to “Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's” So all of these kinds of questions were thrown at you, and if you were partly prepared with them, you depend mostly on God to help you and summon the Holy Spirit to give you strength; and most of the boys did not have any problems.
I don’t know if it’s different at the present or not. Of course, after 2 or 3 weeks later after the interview with the board you received your classification. And I was pleasantly surprised that I received my 4E classification, which automatically qualified me to go to a CPS camp. That’s Civilian Public Service or conscientious objector’s camp. So then I was summoned to take a physical examination – everybody had to take a physical examination whether you were going to the service or whether you were going into camp. And everybody had to go downtown, I believe it was the old Pacific Electric Building on 8th and Main Street. And the first thing they did was make you disrobe totally. And so you stood along with everybody else totally nude and you went from doctor to doctor. They were in little cubicles. There were 5 or 6 cubicles. And as you took that particular phase of the examination from this doctor, each doctor tried to discourage you. Each doctor tried to humiliate you and make you feel as though you are not serving your country. And so you had to put up with that and be strong all of the way through. And then finally when they tell you to dress up, you dress and then you go through a kind of aisle, and then it separates into four different categories. You have no alternative. In one category there were a group of men who were recruiters for the Army. The next category was a group of men who were recruiters for the Navy, and then the Marine Corps, and then the Air Force. And so you had to go into one of those channels. So basically, you were selecting what service you were going to go to. So I went over to the Army section and they said, “Would you like infantry or…” acting like they were going to give you a choice. I said, “I’m a conscientious objector and I refuse to bear any arms.” And so he says, “Well, you go over to the next desk.” Then I went through all these different desks and then finally the last guy says, “Oh. You’re a conscientious objector, you’re a yellow belly.” So they tired to belittle you and make you feel as though you are not doing service to your country. And finally in disgust they let you out. Two weeks later you get a notice to go to camp.
Now let me discuss the camps from here on. Camps were made ready available. I mean the physical camps. Because if you recall, when World War 2 began, the United States became involved in December 1941. So prior to that, the country was just beginning to emerge from a very deep, deep depression. I’m not going to make a history lesson out of this, I just want to touch a point how it effected the camp situation.
Beginning in 1933 when President Roosevelt took office, we were in trouble, the whole world was in trouble. The whole world was in a depression. Unemployment was rampant. People were hungry throughout the world. People were hungry in the United States. We had an unemployment rate that was something like 35 or 40 percent. So he started some programs. They were called the WPA, the CCA, and the TWA. All these alphabetical programs. The CCC was the Civilian Conservation Corps, which mustarded young men from 16 to 19 years who were unemployed and who were not in school. They went to work in these civilian conservation camps. And they had these guards built and these camps were stationed and placed in areas throughout the country, like in national parks, desert areas, and then men would work to better the condition in these areas.
And so with the threat of war and the draft, the historical peace churches, that was the Quaker and the Mennonite, and many others along with the Molokans, met with the officials of the government, and worked out this program for Civilian Public Service camps for conscientious objectors. It was a program that fell into place because we had all these barracks that were built throughout the country and men were able to be enrolled and mustarded into these camps and continue on with the work that the CCC camps started. Gradually the CCC men enlisted in the military service, so the camps were empty and the CO’s started to fit into the program.
Camp was traditionally run: men reported for work and they worked 60 hours a week. That’s what was assigned to the CO’s, so we would have to work long hours and many days, we had Sundays off. Gradually, as time went on, the hours were reduced to 48 hours a week. And finally towards the very end, we finally got to 40 hours. First of all, the regulations stated that any conscientious objector had to be enrolled in the camp at least 250 miles from home. So most of the Los Angeles Molokans had to go to camp in Placerville (Coleville), which is about 70 or 80 miles south of Lake Tahoe. Or Northfork camp. And there was one on Highway 395, just north of Bishop about a 100 miles. And then the camp where the Molokans were assigned to in Three Rivers, CA., which is about 60 or 70 miles north of Porterville in the foothills of Sequoia National Park. The camp was situated at an elevation of about 4,000 feet, and there was some timber there, but mostly brush. So the Molokans who came from the Arizona church were assigned to the camp in Glendora, and men from Kerman were assigned to Glendora. Then the men from Los Angeles were assigned to Three Rivers and the other northern camps. We then moved to a camp in Kings Canyon. As the war started to terminate, we were moved back to Three Rivers, and then all of us were moved about 15 miles to Potwisha.
Because of the food problem, we had our own cook, Al Shubin was in our corps and a man named --- Tolmachoff. We had to eat a lot of potatoes and a lot of macaroni and bread and very little meat. But when we got to Kings Canyon, the Molokans found a way of buying mutton, and we didn’t mind it, because for $5 we could buy a whole mutton, and butcher it, and chop it up, and break it up into shaslik. We would season it highly with a lot of onions and garlic and it would kill the mutton flavor, and so we had it pretty good for ourselves.
So we were assigned to this kind of work of national importance with no pay. And the work consisted of mostly fire fighting, and lumber. We got involved into making rock walls. Now rock walls, if you drive up to Sequoia sometime, take particular attention. You go up around these curves and usually on one side is a sheer drop being of 2 or 3 thousand feet. So these beautiful walls the conscientious objectors built, and we had rock queries up there in the mountains, and we found rock that matched the area.
And then one of the most important things we did was poison oak eradication, which is very treacherous. And that usually took pace in the fall when the leaves and foliage had fallen from the plant, and there is just a stem sticking up and that’s when poison oak is the most dangerous. And so we would chop the poison oak branch down to the ground and pile up these branches, and then light a fire and burn the poison oak. You stood away from the fire because if you got this oil on your body you would contract poison oak.
Now in camp the Molokans at Three Rivers, we had our own barracks. The whole barracks was occupied by Molokans only. On Sundays we didn’t have any church service because most of us would either go to Kerman or LA, and so we had our church service that way. But we held a Wednesday night church and we held a spevka during the week. So we were able to continue on with out religious life as much as we could. We had no real teacher, we were all young men ourselves, but we’d open up the book and one man would know one song, and another knew another song. So we kind-of increased our knowledge that way. Biblical verses read and so on.
And after we came from working in the summertime, particularly, there were activities. There were horseshoe pitching, volleyball courts, and basketball courts, and so we were able to amuse ourselves and get our exercise that way.
The camps were financed this way: If you went to a government camp, the conscientious objector was not obligated to pay for his way. Everything was free and you received $5 per month from the government for incidentals, like chewing gum, candy or tooth paste or whatever. At a religious camp, the Molokan church agreed to pay $35 for each man who went to camp. $5 of that $35 went to the man at the end of the month for incidentals, and $30 went for the administration of the camp, and sometimes I wondered how they could even manage the camp on $30 per month per man, because the camp was obligated to the Mennonite church for the utilities, and the gasoline that was used on the trucks and so on. All these things were at the expense of the church. And so as the war increased, there were more conscientious objectors, but conversely, there were also more Molokan men who were going into the service. And this kind-of caused a dissension between the two factions: the conscientious objectors on the one hand and the servicemen on the other hand. And so the people who at first were generously giving $30 or $35 per month towards the CO program started to drop off and only the parents of the boys who were in CPS camps paid for their sons. Now my parents paid for myself and my brother, to the last day. But other parents started to go into debt, and that was burdensome, because we figured that $35 per month on the wages that at the time was $35 and $40 per week was real important to these people, our Molokan families. And so gradually the Molokan church became indebted to the Mennonite Central Committee by the end of the war. The Molokan church owed the Mennonite Central Committee $36,000, now that’s in 1940 dollars, and if you take that and project that on today’s dollars plus 6 percent interest, it must be an astronomical figure. We must owe then by now 3 or 4 hundred thousand dollars. And they never, the Mennonite church, Christian people that they are, never asked us for one penny. And to this day, most of us who were in camp feel a little bit jiffy about this thing. But I don’t feel guilty, because my parents did pay.
One more thing I’d like to mention, at the war’s end when the military services were being immobilized, the men were being sent home, but for some reason or another the conscientious objectors were being punished and they were left in camp. And a year after the war and we’re still in camp. And only the men who were dismissed were on a hardship case, who had 2 and 3 children at home. So the rest of us were there, I had one girl at home. So we took objection to whatever what happening there. We didn’t work fast to start with, but now we worked slower. And so we were assigned to this camp in Potwisha, which was 15 miles above Three Rivers, and this camp had 5 or 6 barracks.
How was I finally discharged. Well, I have a dishonorable discharge. And I don’t mind telling you this, because finally after the war concluded, and then without being discharged, all of the Molokans were moved out here to Glendora. And we were still there, and so the CO’s and some Molokans joined and created a strike. And we went down and picketed at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles, and it seemed to take effect. The strike took effect because it finally brought out in the open, that over a year after the war, and the servicemen were in their homes. The plight of the CO’s was brought out to the attention of the public, and some pressure was applied, so some of the men were finally beginning to be discharged, and so I had a dishonorable discharge because I was on strike.
(end of presentation)
Elder Jack Wm. Pavloff was a member of the First United Molokan Church (Big Church). He and his wife had 3 children: David, Carol Bavin and Kathy Mendrin.
Molokan C.O. History
Article Number 8
Interview with Vasili Eyonich Berokoff
(click on title to download)
Regarding his experiences during the World War 2 years, acquiring an exemption as a conscientious objector, and life at Civilian Public Service camp, and his convictions on war and military service.
The interview was conducted by William Wm. Botieff in December 2004 at the home of elder Berokoff in Beavercreek, OR. Because of the length of the interview, it is presented in Adobe Acrobat format. Just click on the link:
Molokan C.O. History - Article 9
World War 2 Diary
Elder John K. Berokoff
(click on title to download)
The diary of elder Berokoff records the attitude of Molokans toward the military during the crucial years of WW2, and his efforts among military-age Molokans to have them acquire exemptions as conscientious objectors.
